• Meat safety inspection done by meat examiner.
• While the animals are on the field they are examined by a professional harvester / meat examiner via helicopter for visible health defects.
• No animals with visible health defects are ear marked for the hunt.

• Definition: Reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter.

  • Only farms registered for export with the Department of Veterinary Services allocated for culling. (Ensure healthy animals)
  • Only registered game harvesters used for culling.
  • Head shots only allowed for maximum meat usage.

• Within ten minutes after the animal was killed the bleeding process is started, by severing the jugular vein and carotid artery in either side of the neck with a sterilized knife.
• Small to Medium animals are bled in a hanging position.
• The fast bleeding process ensures excellent quality meat.
• Properly bled carcasses facilitates maximum shelf life (12 to 18 months when kept frozen at -18°C or lower)
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• Meat safety inspection (Meat examiner and Provincial State Vet)
• During culling preliminary inspections are done on the hunting procedure, bleeding times, and hygiene standard of equipment and transport.
• Evisceration happens at the farm slaughter facility.
• Carcasses are cooled down to below 7°C within 24 hours.

• Partially dressed carcasses are sent to the abattoir in cooled trucks.
• Truck temperatures maintained below 7°C.
• Carcasses are only released to the abattoir if a temperature below 7°C has been achieved in 24 hours.

• Export documentation of truck of animals are verified by the VPH official and independent Meat Inspector (Camo Meat use Agency for Food Safety)
• VPN 9 – Annexure A, B & C
• The truck seal is broken by a provincial Veterinary Public Health Official or VPH Veterinarian.
• Meat safety inspection is done by VPH official and independent Meat Inspector while carcasses are still on the truck and while offloading takes place
• Carcasses should be under 7°C in a time span of 24 hours from the time of harvest.
• Partially dressed carcasses only received at the abattoir if cooled below 7°C in 24 hour period.
• Carcasses are offloaded into a chiller running below 7°C at the abattoir side of the facility.

• Dressing takes place at a temperature of under 12°C.
• The dressing is done with clean knives sterilized at 82°C
• A 2 knife colour system is in place – for each carcass, a new sterilized knife is used.
• All meat contaminated with blood and hair is cut away by the slaughter team.
• All material (hoofs, skin, head, etc.)not fit for human consumption is removed to a designated room in bins marked for this purpose.

• After skinning, incisions are made to the carcass to inspect for the disease.
• Any abnormalities of muscles, bones, tendons, joints, or other tissues.
• If the Meat Inspector finds any suspect carcasses that do not comply with the standards, the carcass is sent to the DFI for a secondary inspection by a veterinarian.
• If any diseases are evident – a report has to be sent to DAFF for the national database for reportable diseases. The carcass will be condemned.

The following are considered:
State of nutrition | Colour | Odour | Symmetry | Efficiency of bleeding | Contamination | Pathological conditions | Parasitic infestation | Injection marks | Bruising and injuries

• Meat is stored in chillers at less than 7°C until deboning starts.
• Deboning takes place at a room temperature of under 12°C.
• A two knife colour system is in place- every hour the knife is exchanged for a clean sterilized knife.
• Cuts / Trimmings are accumulated in crates with liners until full. And then it is sent to the wet packaging area.
• The crates with primal cuts are sent after trimming for vacuum packing in the packing zone.
• Deboned meat cuts.
• Cuts are fully cleaned before they are vacuum-sealed.

• Primals are packed in 70-micron vacuum bags for maximum shelf life retention.
• Each vacuum bag is labeled with the specie and cut name.
• Primals are then packed into a box – the kilograms of these boxes vary +/- 20 kg.
• Trimmings are packed in a bag, vacuumed, and packed in a box – 20kg (4 x 5 kg)
• Packaging – Dry Packaging & Boxing
• Vacuum sealed products is then packed in the bottom of the box. The lid will only be put on after blast freezing
• After vacuum packing the product is packed in a bottom box with air holes for maximum airflow.
• Ventilation holes – to ensure proper blast freezing.
• The first traceability label is put on the bottom of the box.

• Meat is sent for X ray scanning to ensure no foreign objects like projectile points / bullets are inside the meat.
• Splintered bone fragments and anything that does not belong to the meat are picked up by the x-ray machine and can be taken out and discarded before blast freezing the product.
• Consumer safety is first priority.

• The box is placed in a crate with large air holes for cold air to circulate around the product.
• The product is placed in the blast freezer for 24 hours to freeze to -18°C

• After blast freezing the product temperature is checked to ensure it is below -18°C.
• The top lid of the box is placed on the box. The second traceability label is put on the lid
• The tamper-proof tape is used to strap the box.
• Boxes are packed on pallets and wrapped with stretch wrap to secure the boxes during transit.

• After palletizing and wrapping the boxes are stored in the holding freezers at temperatures of -25°C.

• Freezer shipping containers maintaining product temperature at -21°C are used to place pallets in for shipping to its destination.
• Containers are sealed by the South African State Vet to ensure full compliance in accordance with the country of destination import regulations.